DISHing it Out Over TV Contract Dispute

A misunderstanding between DISH Network and one of their customers resulted in a $340 cancellation fee. NBC 7 Responds' Consumer Bob reports.

(Published Tuesday, May 8, 2018)

Al Dave said he was doing a roommate a favor by trying to get another DISH Network television receiver for his room.

He said that he did so, despite the fact that everyone had to move out of the house in just two months time.

Al called DISH Network and asked if getting an extra receiver requires initiation of a new contract. Al said the DISH employee told him it didn’t.

“I said I just need a box for two months,” Al told NBC 7 Responds. “Finally the guy said, yeah, we’ll just send you a box for two months and then you can close the account and you’ll be good.”

When the receiver arrived, Al said his roommate signed to accept it from the delivery person but he didn’t know he was entering Al into a new contract.

Two months later, as the roommates were moving out, Al said he contacted DISH Network to return them.

“First week of September, I called up the DISH people and said, ‘I’m returning your stuff, send me the boxes so I can pack everything up and send them back to you. They go, ‘we’ll you have a contract for 24-months.’”

Al said the associate told him that a two-year contract had begun when the new DISH receiver arrived.

“We finally made an agreement to go to the minimum service for 24 months, so I was paying $23.57 a month, just to get rid of it,” Al said.

He said the apartment he rented did not allow satellite dishes so he stored the extra receiver in the closet.

A few months later, Al said he called DISH Network back to see if he could return it but still continue to pay for the contract.

He told NBC 7 Responds they agreed and sent the packaging materials needed for the return.

Al said weeks later he looked at his bank statement and there was a $340 charge taken out from DISH Network. He called DISH Network and they said his account was cancelled as soon as he returned the receiver.

He called the company back and he said they told him that there was nothing that could be done. That’s when he called NBC 7 Responds.

We reached out to DISH Network about Al’s grievances and they agreed to refund his money and cancel the account for good.

DISH Network sent NBC 7 Responds the following statement, “DISH strives to provide an excellent experience to our more than 13 million customers, and we understand that top-notch customer service is a priority for our subscribers.

“We are pleased we've been able to resolve this issue, and we regret the frustration this has caused Mr. Dave."